Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

chaswe-28402 A bit of a puzzle how I managed to sit through this, from beginning to end. Presumably I was waiting for something truly exciting to happen, in between all the uninteresting talk carried on by the walking soldiers. An aeroplane flew over and killed one of them. Another had a nervous breakdown. The soldiers were not easy to tell apart, but perhaps that was because of the poor quality of the print on the disc. Every now and then something happened to one or two of the remaining soldiers. An American platoon may consist of up to as many as 50 soldiers.My disc came in a cover which said that this film was "a tense drama in the tradition of High Noon". Highly creative copy-writing. It took a while for it to sink in to my baffled mind that High Noon, involving one solitary sheriff, was made seven years after this film. Must have been a reverse tradition. After almost two hours of walking and talking the platoon formed an incomprehensible plan for attacking the farmhouse, which had been the objective of their 6 mile walk. I could not understand how wading through water and blowing up a bridge in the background was meant to aid the assault. Was it a diversion? In any case, it didn't seem to divert the enemy in the slightest, since they were shown sitting behind their machine guns, perfectly positioned to mow down the Americans, charging at them in a line. Only a few were hit however, and the farmhouse was taken. A strange performance. The photography was the best part of the shooting.

rayxt Two things weight heavily on how and why this movie disappoints all but the hardcore cinephile now: supposedly set in Italy it was filmed entirely in Calabasas, Los Angeles. And the release date of December 1945. When hundreds of thousands, if not millions of returned servicemen would still be waking up screaming in the night pursued by the horrors of war; seeing men blown to pieces all around them, the mindless destruction and carnage impossible to rid from their minds.Even if it were conceived then, making and releasing 'Saving Private Ryan' type war film at that time would have made audiences sick in the cinemas or run screaming into the street.'Action' then is replaced by dialogue of realism of the interminable tense periods of 'waiting' for war in a world of dangerous unknowns.70 years on the generations whose greatest emotional tension is sitting in traffic jams, and who HAVE seen it all before just can't relate to the stage-play pace of this kind of film making anymore. And the story would be much better appreciated if read as a screenplay.

writers_reign If IMDb is to be believed this movie was released in December, 1945, some seven or eight months after the War In Europe ended so that in one way any anti-war message built into it was superfluous. Director Lewis Milestone who was, in fact, a fine all-rounder with a long career, will always be closely associated with All Quiet On The Western Front which dealt with the futility of war albeit World War One so it was perhaps natural that he repeat the lesson with World War Two. This movie is notable for its matter of fact acceptance of war as a natural recurring phenomena and one that makes little or no attempt to either glamorize war or paint a horrific picture of it. The main thrust is the six-mile trek by one platoon from a beachhead in Salerno inland to the farmhouse that they have been assigned to take and hold. En route we meet and get to know the typical Hollywood 'bomber crew' cross section of personnel with very little actual combat until the last couple of reels when they do, in fact, attain their objective. Certainly worth a look.

wes-connors In Italy, a platoon of American GIs must rid a farmhouse of its Nazi occupants. "A Walk in the Sun" is expertly directed by Lewis Milestone, utilizing Russell Harlan's perceptive camera. It's unusually poetic, for the time, courtesy of writers Harry Brown and Robert Rossen. And, certainly, the film should grow in stature, over the years, when compared to the more typical war dramas released during its era. Upon release, the film was no doubt considered noteworthy for its "realism". Presently, this strength is weighted. Still, the film's substance endures...Strong characterizations are provided by the cast of soldiers. Two stand out, and give the film greater emotional depth. Though it begins, necessarily, as a team effort, reluctant Dana Andrews (as Bill Tyne) emerges as the "hero"; and, John Ireland (as Windy Craven) stands out among the other soldiers. Mr. Andrews is the man who takes command, after leader Herbert Rudley cowers under the pressure. Andrews is terrific; especially, note how he fights off the same war fatigue and mental illness that claimed his predecessor.Mr. Ireland's performance, as a poetic minister's son, is award-worthy. Each of the film's characters attempt to grab you: "the farmer", "the prophet"… accompanied by an almost too sentimental, heart-tugging soundtrack. But, however you try to resist, it's impossible not to fall under Ireland's spell, as he explains "G.I. Dirt", and writes letters home "in his head". While Andrews takes explicit control of the mission, it's Ireland who implicitly provides the battle plan. The film does well in portraying a platoon's waiting, talking, teamwork, and action during war. ******** A Walk in the Sun (12/3/45) Lewis Milestone ~ Dana Andrews, John Ireland, Richard Conte, Lloyd Bridges